Losing All Control
by TyLeeChan
Summary: Aftermath: Everything got a lot more complicated after Unicron entered the picture. The stakes are high and no one, not even the leaders, know what to do. So why does Prowl have to run away then? Sequel to Join the Club and Running Out of Time


**Sorry, this took a bit longer than expected ^^; Personally, I'm neutral on this one. I was never quite very excited about this part of the story, but it had to be told. I mean, if I skipped from the last one to the end you'd all be MAJORLY confuzzled. I really like the first and second scene though, and I though the dialouge over all was good (except certain characters...I'll discuss that later). OH OH and another character death! It's more of a social experiment though, to see how you'll all react O.O I actually like this character, so it was a little hard. Well, enjoy!**

* * *

"Prowl? Prowl? Where are you!?"

"Proooowl!"

"Mister Prowl, sir, please to be coming out!"

Sari frowned as their voices rebounded off of the buildings, echoing almost endlessly in this empty portion of the city. This was taking way too much time and was only dampening the little hope they had left. Why had Prowl decided now, of all times, to run off without so much as a warning? Didn't he know that they needed him? He had to have at least _some_ information that nobot else here had about their current plight. He had been around like this a lot longer than anybot else had. Well, except for Starscream, and he wasn't going to show his gearshaft anytime soon.

She hadn't actually seen the first of many events happen, as Prowl had instinctively covered her eyes, but she had seen the results. Chassis all over the streets, not discolored but clearly not inhabited either. The disorder and fear erupting from that had already been overwhelming. It only got worse. All of these other ghosts had suddenly shown up, materializing in front of them, as confused as she and the `bots she was with were. It had instantly become very crowded, the new ghosts filling up spaces that had earlier been vacant. They tried to push and shove, though most were unable to use what Sari had later found out was called 'spark-power' or something like that (Hot Shot had explained it to her, so as far as she knew the name was disputed) and thus couldn't touch anything. Silence had been replaced by screams and cries of terror without any hope, a horrifying sound that Sari could still hear ringing in her ears.

It was then, with an alarmed expression on his faceplate, that Prowl had disappeared, not before handing Sari to Rodimus and giving one command.

_"Stay with them." _

Sari, unable to do anything, had watched Prowl dash through the mass of ghosts without even looking back. She had so dreadfully wanted to go after him, but knew she had to listen to him. If he thought it best for her to stay, he was probably right. She didn't have her upgrades anymore. She didn't even know if she could conjure up any of the little abilities she had once had shortly after discovering her techno-organic origins. Although she never was one for following the limitations set on her by others, especially by her Autobot family, it was different now. She understood how serious this whole affair was, and how dangerous one misstep would be.

If only she had known what would happen next. Maybe then she could have convinced Rodimus and the others to follow him, make sure he didn't go too far away. Then she wouldn't be searching for him now.

Through some miracle (though the fact that they were all here in this state could only be the opposite), they had come across Optimus, along with a majority of the council. Rodimus had reported to him everything that he and his teammates knew so far, which was so much more than Sari did, and asked for his advice. Optimus had been unable to give any. Sari knew that he was stressed, possibly more than anybot else at the moment. He was the leader, not just of a lowly space bridge repair team, but now of an entire civilization. He was expected to have some kind of answer. He was expected to be able to help in, or even prevent, disasters like this. The suddenness of this all made it difficult to think straight, even with the intuition leaders were supposed to have.

She had been surprised to see another familiar faceplate show up, though at that point she shouldn't have been surprised by anything. It was Jetstorm, the twin who had come to Earth along with the Elite Guard when they had been chasing after Wasp. Frantically, he had tried to tell them and anybot who could hear that it was some `con named 'Dirge' that had done all of this, and that he was currently using his chassis as his own. He was extremely desperate to let everybot know this crucial information, though it wasn't very effective. Only Rodimus and his team had understood a word of what he said, the rest not knowing what in the pits 'Dirge' was or if he even existed.

It was about then that Dirge had somehow appeared on a public announcement screen.

Sari wasn't sure who Dirge was or what his problem was, but she knew that she didn't like him. From his over-sweetened theatric speeches to his lack of motive other than pure lust for anything and everything. He was worse than any Decepticon she had ever faced, or even dreamed of facing. The other `cons she had known about seemed to have a reason for their chaos, most of them considering Cybertron their rightful home and just wanting it back. The lack of Autobot programming didn't help them with their violent tendencies either. They weren't protoformed with the same morals that `bots had.

In barely two minutes so much happened. Dirge publicly used the Matrix to summon something. What that something was, Sari didn't know. Dirge had called it a 'Unicron', which sounded like a planet name. That made sense. It surely looked like a planet, a metallic one like Cybertron. But it was huge. A lot bigger than Cybertron, and possibly even Earth. To this very second it was still slowly emerging from the clouds that it had been called from, and more and more of it kept being revealed, showing just how massive it was. There was a ring around it, making it look a bit like Saturn or any of the other ringed planets in the Milky Way, but that familiarity was destroyed when you caught sight of the ominous claws coming from the front.

Whatever this was, it was not coming here for a friendly visit.

Optimus had quickly called her into action. She had been happy that he had considered her for any task since she no longer was as powerful as she was before. Well, as happy as one could be in this situation. She, along with Hot Shot and Jetstorm, were supposed to track down Prowl and bring him back there. Optimus wanted him here as soon as possible, whether for information or simply moral support. The way Prowl had left her though…she wasn't sure if he was up for being moral support at the moment.

The section of the city they were investigating was empty, most likely because all of the ghosts had huddled close together in the midst of the pandemonium. Sari figured it was the best place to look for Prowl. Whenever he had been troubled when he was still online he would try to go to a quiet area in the Plant and think. Of course, Bumblebee or Bulkhead would soon ruin whatever tranquility was in their home, and she had always seen him drive off, heading toward the park or the forest outlaying the city.

Sari sighed. Even though Prowl was back, it wasn't the same. He was still offline, and even if they were able to fix this problem, he would still be offline. If she ever returned to her own body, then she would have to leave him all over again. She would almost rather stay here like this with him, except there was one thing missing: Bumblebee. She had briefly caught sight of Bulkhead and Ratchet in the crowd of ghosts when they had gone out to start this undertaking, but she had yet to see her best friend anywhere. She didn't know if she would be able to live without him.

Jetstorm was hovering above them, scanning the area from the air. Sari was glad to have him as part of the team; he was probably getting the job done a lot faster with his advantage. She had noticed something different about him though since he had been on Earth. He didn't talk nearly as much, seemed to not want to look at anybot. Maybe he felt responsible for Dirge having his chassis. Sari didn't blame him for that, though. Surely it wasn't like he had known the `con's intentions and given it to him like a birthday present. It was the same for her. She hadn't willingly given him the Allspark energy inside of her. He had taken it, very violently, as she recalled. The thought of the ordeal made her shiver a bit, happy that it was over but still wishing it had never occurred.

"See him, Jetstorm?" She called.

He shook his head. "Cannot be finding Mister Prowl anywhere!"

She sighed again. Prowl couldn't be making this more difficult for them, could he? They had been searching for almost half an hour. Every minute that thing – Unicron – was getting closer. Growing bigger. Every minute they were getting closer to what seemed to be an imminent doom, though Sari had no idea how it would be done.

Hot Shot stretched his servos, yawning. "Where the slag is he?"

"That's what I'd like to know." Sari grumbled.

"Hey! That's a good one!" He grinned, "I love snappy comebacks like that!"

Hot Shot was a `bot that Sari could identify with. Young. Playful. Slightly…hyper? Or was it just manic? Whatever it was, it reminded her a bit of herself and Bumblebee. They all knew how to have fun. It had taken him awhile to get used to her, as she was an organic, and when she explained that she was part Cybertronian too it hadn't helped that much. But he was amicable enough to learn to look past her organic features, at least for the time being. She bet if he ever came to Earth he would be amazing at video games. They would probably be good friends, and annoy all of their teammates to death. Maybe even pull a few good pranks.

The only problem was now she wasn't in the mood for fun. She wasn't in the mood for much of anything. At least Bumblebee knew when she should be left alone. When it was time to be serious. Slag, she missed him so much. She had never been in such a dangerous position without him somewhere close by. She had been with him nearly the whole time during the final battle, which by far was the most risky fight she had ever been in. All of Detroit was going to blow. It was hard to get more dangerous than that.

Well, until now, of course.

"Hey, I've gotta question for you." He piped up, "Are you a mistake?"

Sari blinked. "A what?"

"A mistake. Y'know…like…'oops'?"

"No!" She scowled, although she herself wasn't sure whether she was lying or not, "What would make you say that?"

"Your name: It's 'Sorry', so I thought…" He mumbled.

Sari forced back a smile. The similarities between him and Bumblebee kept on growing.

"No. It's not 'Sorry'. It's 'Sari'. S. a. r. i." She spelled it out, hoping he would understand. It only seemed to make him more confused.

"What's a 's'…or an 'a'…or anything else you just said?" He asked.

"Letters. You use them to make words."

"Oh like Cybertronian!" He said eagerly, then frowned, "I was never a good reader…"

"Do everyone's names mean something on Cybertron?" Sari asked.

"Usually. All of the `bots I've met have pretty obvious names." He answered, "I've got flamethrowers, so 'Hot Shot' makes sense. Though others have told me it's an insult…I think they're just jealous. Rodimus…dunno what that means to tell you the truth, but I've heard he used to be called Hot Rod, and he is kinda a show-off, though he doesn't mean to be. He's just so slaggin' perfect `n stuff…Brawn's strong, Ironhide has that alloy plating-thing, you have to be on your guard when Alert's around `cos she'll beat you to a pulp if you're barely out of line, and…well, can't think of any others off the top of my head…"

"Dirge…" Sari whispered, "A funeral song. He's caused a lot of funerals…"

They didn't talk for awhile after that, continuing to walk through the streets in silence. For barely an instant it had been like nothing was happening. There was no crisis in their hands. They were just two friends, talking. But Sari had known she couldn't get so careless, no matter how much she wanted to be. Optimus was counting on her to find Prowl, not to have an insightful chat with Hot Shot about the ulterior allusions in Cybertronian designations.

Hot Shot was a nice `bot, and Sari enjoyed talking to him, but now wasn't the time. He had to understand that.

"So…uh…" Hot Shot began, looking around for Prowl but obviously not focused on the task at hand, "I heard this joke once…"

"Hot Shot!" She said with as much composure as she could muster, "I'm sure it's great, but I really don't want to hear your joke right now!"

"Oh…well, then…_Sorry_, _Sari_." He smiled broadly, as if he thought of the funniest thing in the universe. He didn't know how many times people had apologized to her in the same way, not intending it as a pun.

She frowned. "We're _working_ Hot Shot. We can't goof off. Don't you realize that if we mess up that there's no turning back? We have to do everything possible or else…" She stopped, surprised at how much like Prowl she sounded, as if he was berating her and Bumblebee for playing loud music on the way to stopping one of the lame human super-villains. Was she really so different after all that happened? Or was it simply the pressure catching up to her?

"…you're right…I'm sorry…and I really mean it this time," He admitted, "It's just, I've never really been so stressed before, y'know?"

"Yeah."

"My space bridge was attacked once…but everything happened so quickly that I never really had time to be scared. I was more excited about proving myself in battle than anything." He explained, "And now? Now I don't know how to feel. I don't know what to do. Everything's so slaggin' confusing and I just want it to stop and go back to normal."

"So you act like it is still normal." Sari realized aloud.

Hot Shot nodded. "Yeah. Doesn't really work very well though, does it? It kinda makes me feel better but it only annoys others and makes me look like more of a glitchhead…"

"No, not a glitchhead. Just oblivious." Sari informed playfully, "But don't take it too hard. We're all in the same boat here."

"Thanks." He paused, "What's a 'boat'?"

Sari was relieved when Jetstorm landed next to them, making it unable for her to answer Hot Shot. Her explanation of the Earth idiom would just lead them down another bunny trail of distraction.

"Vas seeing Mister Prowl!" He gasped, "Just east from current position, not many hics away!"

Sari wasted no time in asking further questions. Jetstorm already had taken back to the air, motioning wildly at them to follow him. They sped through the streets, Sari struggling to keep up with the two `bots. She had forgotten what it was like to be this small, this weak. To not have a jetpack to propel you forward. But was she really weak? She still had the same powers, just not as mature. Maybe it was better to slowly learn then to just cheat and advance yourself like she had. If she hadn't done that, Dirge wouldn't have taken her Allspark upgrades for himself. Then he wouldn't have had enough energy to take all the sparks.

A good life lesson? Yes. But did the consequences really have to be this severe?

There he was! Sitting by the side of a building, in what looked like a meditation pose. Except he wasn't meditating. He was staring at his fingers, a crestfallen look on his faceplate. Whenever Prowl meditated, he always had his viz scanners fixed on an unidentifiable far-off object, and he always wore that serious, but peaceful, face. If this was his attempt at meditation, he was failing miserably.

"Prowl!!" Sari cried. He looked up on hearing his name, that familiar voice, but quickly turned away. Hot Shot skidded to a halt in front of him, Jetstorm landing close by, but Sari took several seconds to catch up with her Autobot counterparts. When she reached Prowl she put her hands on her knees, bending over and panting for breath. She quickly regained her standing position, though she still felt winded.

"…what are you doing here? I told you to stay with Rodimus." Prowl said softly.

"Optimus gave me other orders." Sari replied.

"Prime?" He perked up for a moment, then fell downcast again, "So I failed him too…"

"You haven't failed anyone! Why would you say that?"

"Yes, I have. I failed Prime. I failed all of the other `bots. I failed you. I should've been able to know that something like this was going to happen. Yoketron…he said that I had to stop Starscream…and he meant this." He sighed, "I hate myself."

Sari bit her lip. She didn't know how she could reason with Prowl like this, with him babbling on about things she didn't understand like 'Yoketron'. She didn't even know how to reason normally! Tutor Bot had never gotten to teach her logic; she had reprogrammed him with her key to teach her the history of movies instead (and then he had overloaded and had to go to her dad for repairs _again_ which only got her another good talking to). How was she going to get him to come back with her?

"Man, stop getting so down on yourself!" Hot Shot insisted, "Look, Prowl, we are all in…uh…the same 'boat' here." He looked over to Sari for confirmation on the right usage on the phrase.

"Y-Yeah! We all unintentionally helped Dirge some way or another." She said.

"Ve all are being responsible…ve all failed, Mister Prowl." Jetstorm said solemnly, "…I vas failing Jetfire…"

"But standing here and moping about it won't get us anywhere, right?" Sari asked rhetorically, "Come on, Prowl. We need your help. Optimus needs your help. Everyone needs your help!"

Prowl didn't answer. He just sat there, appearing to be deep in thought. Sari held her breath, waiting for the decision to be made. If he still refused, she would have to find some way to force him to come with them. She didn't know how she would be able to do it, but she had to try everything. Whether he liked it or not, he had to help them! They would never get anything done apart, but together they could try to do something.

Slowly, he got up onto his stabilizing servos.

"Take me to Prime."

* * *

Prowl winced. It was like all of the mistakes, all of the disappointments in his life were coming back at him and hitting him full blast. Helpless to save Yoketron. Almost dying his first solar cycle on Earth because of not obeying orders. Allowing himself to be controlled by those space barnacles. Becoming cocky after receiving a few mods. Defeated by Starscream inside of Omega Supreme's processor. Falling under Soundwave's command (though temporary, as he was able to fight it off eventually). His most recent blunder, though, was causing most of his distress.

Sari told him that it wasn't his fault. Everyone slipped up this time around. He couldn't help feeling guilty though. He wondered if it was the amount of expectancy on him. Everyone thought he knew what they were supposed to do. That because he had been a ghost for deca-cycles before them he instantly had some kind of supreme knowledge of everything. He barely knew how to use his spark-power effectively. If anything, his extended time as a ghost only gave him more time to wish he knew stuff like this.

What was Dirge trying to accomplish? What was Unicron? He didn't know. That was what Prime and the few members of the council were trying to find out. They had moved the members, Sentinel and Alpha Trion, ironically near where Prowl had been hiding earlier, along with Ultra Magnus, Rodimus and Prowl along as guests in order to make up for the lack of `bots originally on the council. Prowl was aware that he had little to no rights about making decisions in this position, but he could freely voice his opinion. And he could help if Prime got in a tough spot.

"We've already received testimony from Prowl and Rodimus Prime of what they know of Dirge. So far he has not made any direct threats at our lives, though, so perhaps…" Prime began. Though, Prowl figured, he really should be referring to him as 'Optimus', 'Magnus', or 'Supreme Commander' now. He couldn't bring himself to do that, though. To him, he would still always be 'Prime'.

"Perhaps what?" Sentinel came back, "Perhaps we should just stand here and let him do whatever he's planning? Watch our destruction? That sounds like a wonderful strategy."

"…I was going to say perhaps we should wait until there is a more obvious threat." Prime finished. Prowl threw a glare at Sentinel. Who made him a part of this council anyways? Prime shouldn't have been so lenient on him, making him his second in command and the commander of the Elite Guard. But it did take some of the pressure off of his own chestplate, and Prowl knew that they had used to be good friends. He only wondered what caused their relationship to go so sour.

"Oh, and that," He pointed up at the looming form of Unicron, "isn't an obvious threat?"

"We don't know what it is, Sentinel."

"I know it looks like it wants to eat us. And things that look like they want to eat us generally try to eat us. You of all `bots should know that." He reminded with a stern look. Prowl wasn't sure what he was referring to, but he could see how Prime was taking it. His faceplate fell, and he looked at Prowl for support. Prowl nodded, giving his consent. He was always taught to find out a creature's intention first before attacking.

"Until it actually opens its mouth and starts biting, I have reasons to believe otherwise." He replied.

"Well, I think we should actually start an offensive against Dirge instead of continuing to play defense. If we don't do something soon, he could…well, make things worse than it already is." Sentinel turned to Ultra Magnus, "Don't you agree with me, Ultra Magnus, sir?"

All viz scanners were on the former leader. He straightened up upon being addressed.

"I don't think it's proper for me to give my opinion now," He said quickly.

Sentinel glowered. "So you agree with Optimus."

"I didn't say tha-"

"Save it. I got the message." Sentinel raised a servo. "Nobot's going to hear me out. That's fine. It's only expected when we have such a great, and oh so wise and perfect-"

"Shut up, Sentinel."

Prowl blinked, surprised. Rodimus had clenched fists and dental plates, looking like he was going to go and force Sentinel to be quiet if he didn't do it on his own accord. In fact, one servo seemed to be in a stance to grab his bow if the situation demanded it. Sentinel blinked too. Several times, in utter disbelief.

"…you…?" He began, insulted.

"Look, I know you might think Optimus is some cheap imitation of the leader you want, but he's doing all he can. He's using his processor, instead of running blind into a fight like you suggested. Maybe you could learn a deal of patience from him, as you clearly need some." He said coolly, "I support and fully agree with Optimus's decision."

Prowl didn't know Rodimus very well. He didn't even know he existed until megacycles ago. He wouldn't consider him his friend, merely a much extended acquaintance. Even with that, he would never have thought that he would be the one to stick up for Prime. It was almost with envy that he watched the orange mech's words cause Sentinel to fall back, grumbling to himself about how life wasn't fair. Prowl had wanted to protect Prime. He had wanted to back him. And yet, he was immensely grateful that Rodimus had been so defensive. Prowl hadn't been able to speak up at that point, unable to think of the correct words. Rodimus also showed that he had learned a lot in a short time; when they had been fighting the JaAm monster he hadn't been very patient at all.

Prowl couldn't tell whether he respected Rodimus or absolutely despised him.

Optimus gave a small smile, showing his appreciation, though he quickly changed the subject, most likely in order to spare more embarrassment and insults for Sentinel. "Now about Unicron: has anybot ever heard of him before? I don't recall his name anywhere in the history vids…"

All of the members, honorary and not, shook their heads. Prowl was unable to correspond the name with anything he had ever heard before. It was an enigma, wrapped in a mystery. No matter how hard he thought, he couldn't think of anything even relatively close to Unicron. Not the same size, not the same name. It was going to be an endless search for the answers they wanted. The whole idea of it made Prowl's processor pound dully.

"I've never seen or heard mention of him, if it is indeed a 'he'." Ultra Magnus informed. "But we can only assume from the transwarp energy being dispersed that he is not from anywhere near here."

"Correct." A voice behind them announced, "He is not from anywhere near here. Not even from our realm of reality. But he has a reputation that quite precedes him; he is known from legends to be the 'Planet Eater'."

Prowl froze. He recognized that voice. It's domineering tone, calm yet charismatic. The confidence, even in the midst of his recent defeat. Everybot whirled around to face the adversary.

"Megatron!"

* * *

"W-Where's Thundercracker?" Skywarp whimpered. He shuffled in place, viz scanners darting about fearfully, as usual.

"Who cares where that egomaniac is?" Dirge huffed, "It doesn't matter. I'm keeping track of all of you. You're all **mine**."

Starscream personally didn't mind if his darker blue clone was missing. All Thundercracker did was go about and flaunt his superiority. Actually, he would rather have all of his clones disappear, save Skywarp and Sunstorm. The perpetual fear and unending praise was something he could get used to. Instead, of course, he was stuck annoyed by his other personalities as well. As soon as Dirge had them brought here he had heard nothing but lies and cleverly made insults about how 'stupid of a mech' he was to get offlined like that.

Dirge had taken all of them to the top of some tall building in the city. What building it was called or what it was used for he didn't care; in fact, if he had things going his way all of the Autobot facilities on Cybertron would be flattened by now. But Dirge was in charge, and he had a 'plan'.

The 'plan' was starting to seem more real to Starscream, as a real, giant planet-like being was currently warping out of the clouds above the, just as Dirge seemed to have foreknown.

The only complaint that Starscream had was that the roof of this building was very small to hold five ghosts and one with an actual chassis. Especially since he was trying to stay as secluded as possible, wanting to avoid anymore nagging from a certain femme. So he barely had any room to sit, his stabilizing servos dangling over the edge. Slipstream had stopped talking to him, for the time being, but she still threw him looks as sharp as daggers, clearly expressing her feelings about him. He gave her life! She should be appreciative. All of the other clones seemed to understand that. Even Dirge knew that he was important. Though, he had no idea _why_ he was important to him.

Starscream turned his head slightly to watch the exchange between his personalities. He found it entertaining to observe them, their differences in behavior often clashing with each other. This whole thing had started as bickering between Slipstream and Dirge, who considered his possession of a chassis while she and the others had none unfair.

"B-But…that means…he's out there all along…in the cold dark vacuum of space!!" Skywarp realized, "The space barnacles could get him!"

"No they can't!" Ramjet piped up, "Space barnacles don't exist!"

"Y-Yes they do! I've seen them before and…" He looked down at his chassis and gasped, "IS THAT ONE ON ME RIGHT NOW!?"

"Stop your idiotic babbling, unless you'd prefer me to send you back there with him and the barnacles." Dirge hissed. Skywarp cowered with a squeak, as if deciding whether his fear of Dirge of space barnacles were larger. Or Thundercracker. Or anything else, to be frank. He was scared of absolutely everything. Starscream could hardly believe that that pitiful excuse of a `con was created from a part of _his_ personality.

Oh great, now he was sounding like Thundercracker…

"It really is astounding…" Sunstorm mused, peering up at the entity known as 'Unicron', "Perfect form, such illustrious paint work, a truly majestic emergence…"

Dirge was on him in an instant, much to Starscream's amusement. Sunstorm winced, knowing that Dirge couldn't touch him, but that he literally held his life in his right servo, in the form of the Matrix. Dirge directed the twin's finger and pointed it straight at the sycophant's faceplate.

"If you even consider laying your servos on him…" He growled, "He's mine! Don't you understand!? MINE!"

"No he's not! He's mine!"

Dirge ignored the liar and moved on. "I'm sparing all of your pathetic lives because you are my family and I want you online. You can't take that away from me!"

"Sparing our lives? Ha!" Slipstream rolled her viz scanners, "It seems to me that you're only sparing Thundercracker, since he still has his spark. What do you think you are going to achieve anyways? Have you thought this through?"

Starscream made a face. Why was it the clone he disliked the most who was reasoning so much like him? She always was thinking on the same level as him, even to the point of making commands before he did. It only made him wonder again what aspect of his personality she was. The possibilities frightened him out of his mind.

"Yes…" Dirge said in the same tone he often used with Starscream, frustrated at their doubt in his abilities, "I've thought this through many times, in fact."

"No you haven't!" Ramjet smirked.

"B-But how do you know this will work…?" Skywarp sniveled.

"Yes, yes, oh brilliant grandmaster." Sunstorm added, seemingly regaining his composure, "Have you taken all precautions for this ingenious scheme?"

"It'll work because I said it'll work!" He insisted, "I want Unicron, and what I want I get!"

All of the clones backed off, either unwilling to continue to question or intimidated by Dirge's sudden flare of temper. Starscream just smiled. None of his creations knew about Dirge's irritating habit of avoiding explaining his intentions. You couldn't expect him to tell you what he was going to do next.

"You don't even know what Unicron is, do you?" Dirge asked. When he received no answer he shook his head. "It's sad when nobot cares to remember something so powerful. His name used to be feared everywhere…but then again, I guess he hasn't fully appeared in this universe yet, has he?"

"What are you talking about?" Starscream asked, finally entering the conversation. "How do _you_ know what he is, then?"

Dirge sneered. "Oh, come on, Screamer. I was born of the Matrix. The Matrix incarnate, you could say. When you lived most of your life in the realm of knowledge, you pick up on things like this."

"Okay then, wise guy, what is Unicron?"

"He's a deadly force from another universe. Another reality." He began, "You see, there are many different realities, all of which are similar in composition. They are a bit like alternate universes, actually. In almost all of them you can find an alternate version of yourself."

Starscream was hesitant to believe this at first. Alternate realities? That was bogus. How could there be _two_ of him, let alone several others (not counting clones or copycats, of course)? But everything else Dirge had said had been true so far. Why would he suddenly choose to lie? He wasn't Ramjet. His processor started to wonder what his other selves were like, but he was quickly interrupted by Dirge's continuation of his enlightenment.

"He is constantly on the hunt for power…a goal we both share. He has never come here before though, at least to my understanding, because we were missing something important until recently." He held up the Matrix proudly, "Something worth coming here for."

"The Matrix?" Slipstream said suspiciously.

"Yes. In the realities that he has been to before the Matrix had always been more powerful than the one here. That was because of one reason and one reason only: Lack of life-force. The other Matrixes were made up of certain life-forces, usually of another incredibly potent entity, Primus, who I won't bother to explain about now. This Matrix only had two, unsubstantial lives, who barely made it have any energy whatsoever. Its power was nothing compared to what Unicron was after." Dirge explained, "So I added a little…incentive to bring him over to us."

"You gave it more life-forces through all of the sparks." Starscream said in understanding.

"Now you're starting to get it!" Dirge squealed happily.

Well yeah, he got it once Dirge finally told him. Had he really thought that Starscream was really supposed to have found this out on his own? It was so complicated, especially with this whole 'other reality' business. But even with all this newfound information he was still slightly confused. Instead of being nosy, however, Starscream resigned to just wait and see these mysteries be played out. He would be pressing his luck to get Dirge to tell him anything else anyways.

Slipstream wasn't as patient as him. "Slow down a nanoclick. Just because you have this Matrix and stuff, what makes you think he'll just give you his power, since I'm sure that's what you're planning?"

"I never said that's what I was going to do."

"Yes you did!"

"Stay out of this, Ramjet." Dirge barked, then turned back to Slipstream, "You won't be so smug when this is all over. That I can garuntee."

Slipstream put her servos on her hips, giving one of her famous looks, but didn't reply. It was vague answers like this that often shut Starscream up as well. Or completely threw him over the edge.

Slag, why was he continuing to identify himself with the personalities he didn't like?

There was a slow moan from above. Starscream looked up, along with probably anybot else that heard it. He couldn't feel the denseness from the transwarp energy anymore. Unicron seemed to be frozen in place, no longer coming closer to Cybertron, but not retreating either. It was a bit strange to see such a large structure just hovering, half encompassed by clouds, seemingly choosing whether it wanted to keep going or not.

"What's he doing?" Starscream asked.

"Reconsidering." Dirge said in a forcibly calm voice, "I'll have to give him a sample of what's in store."

"No you-!"

"Shut up!" Starscream smacked Ramjet across the faceplate, creating a small burn mark. Ramjet stepped back, wincing in pain and silenced, having nothing to say in reply to the unexpected retaliation. It felt good to finally get his two-faced personality to be quiet. Like he finally had some control over his clones.

Dirge handled the Matrix with care, turning it around in his servos as if looking for something. Its glow reflected on the twin's chassis with every revolution, almost dancing in the glare. Then he stopped, smiling accomplishedly as he gently plucked a single spark from one of the sides.

"Perfect." He cooed, "Nobot will miss you, now will they? I'll be doing them a favor."

And that was when, without barely a moment's hesitation, he flung the spark into the air.

* * *

There was an apparent sense of tension surrounding everybot. They had all gone into battle stances, Prowl obviously guarding Optimus while Sentinel leaned more towards Ultra Magnus. Rodimus, on the other servo, didn't care about protecting any one council member in particular. All he wanted was a clear shot, so that he could take off the `con's head if he took a wrong move. He pulled the line on his bow back a bit, making sure it was nice and taut.

Then he remembered that this wasn't a normal encounter between Autobots and Decepticons. Much like they were, Megatron was quite visible as a ghost. Not physical in any way, lest he had gained some mastery over that spark-power stuff. Even then, Rodimus didn't know if he could do anything significant damage to him, anyways. How do you offline a `bot who was already technically offline? Nevertheless, he didn't let his guard down.

"Please, please. Lower your weapons. I'm not here for a fight, no matter how appealing it sounds." Megatron said with servos raised. "I need to discuss something with your leader…Optimus."

"Alone?" Prowl asked apprehensively, taking another step closer to the `bot in question. Rodimus understood his reasoning. But there was something about Megatron's mannerisms…his speech that made Rodimus feel oddly calm. Like perhaps he was telling the truth. Yeah right. Megatron was the leader of the Decepticons! Why would he suddenly be truthful?

Well, there was that giant thing that was coming down on them, which he had called a 'Planet Eater'. If he wanted to save his own gearshaft, that was a pretty good reason to stop lying.

"If he's more comfortable with you here, I don't mind." He smirked, "Although I would rather hear what Optimus thinks instead of having others talk for him. Unless he's that incompetent."

Rodimus had never seen Prowl get so angry. He wasn't doing anything in response to Megatron's insults, not even saying anything. But you could see it in his faceplate: he was absolutely furious. Rodimus had no idea what was holding him back. He knew if he was in his position some sparks would probably be flying by this point, metal hitting metal. Especially with how much respect he had for Optimus.

"I'd like them to stay." Optimus said firmly, a hint of anger also apparent in his attitude.

Megatron nodded. "Alright. I'm not going to waste any more time with worthless embellishments: We need to work together."

That was something that Rodimus was not anticipating. Maybe some kind of ambush or tricky plot (which for all he knew this could still be), but not that. Cooperation? With a Decepticon? No wait, _the_ Decepticon? He tried to annihilate all of them on several occasions, and now he thought it was completely fine to just waltz in and call for a peace treaty? Not only a peace treaty, but one that would have to happen currently, when they were still trying to solve a much larger catastrophe? Rodimus momentarily questioned Megatron's sanity.

"We do?" Optimus replied hesitantly.

"Unless you want to be held responsible for the destruction of your kind, as well as mine."

"Really? Enlighten me."

"You're really going to listen to him?" Sentinel asked rather disgustedly, as only could be expected.

"Wait other choice do we have, Sentinel?" Optimus responded.

"…not listen to him?" He offered.

"That wouldn't be very wise." Megatron interjected, "If you don't listen to me, then Unicron will consume us all."

"What do you know about Unicron?" Optimus asked.

"He was a legend. A myth. I only heard it once, stellar cycles before the Great War, and even then it doesn't tell much. All I remember from it was that he was described as the 'Planet Eater' and that he was feared all over the universe. Not our universe, though. One that was very different and yet similar to our own." He paused, "But I thought it was just a story. Until now."

Megatron's revelation struck Rodimus hard. He had always had that sense of approaching devastation, but hadn't realized how close it was until this moment. They were all going to die. Completely, utterly, not just losing their sparks. The point of no return. Ever. He would never go back to working on that space bridge with his team ever again. He recalled how upset he had been when he had been reassigned after the war. He took his life for granted, and soon it would be taken from him.

"'Planet Eater'? So if he's coming to us…" Sentinel began.

"He's going to eat Cybertron." Rodimus finished, "I thought you weren't listening, Sentinel."

The blue mech turned bright red. "I meant 'listen' as in…uh…being drawn into conversation instead of…well, just eavesdropping and not really being involved so…"

"You spoke up, so wouldn't that be considered part of the conversation?"

"We don't have time for this!" Prowl insisted fervently, "Prime needs to make a decision, and he needs to make it soon."

"Yes." Megatron agreed, "He does. I propose that we use our combined forces to defeat Unicron and whoever supports him. I have discovered many of my fellow Decepticons who will follow me loyally to this cause."

Optimus stared fixedly at Megatron, considering his choices. In Rodimus's processor, there wasn't much of a choice here. It was either temporarily join up with the Decepticons, or both be wiped out. If they could use the enhanced strength, size, and firepower that the `cons possessed, taking down Dirge wouldn't be too hard. And since he was conducting Unicron as it seemed, it would get rid of two of their problems at once. Yes, it would be difficult to work together. Rodimus himself was still uneasy about that whole concept. But there was nothing else to do.

It was time for Optimus to prove himself as a leader. If he didn't go with the hard option, although the right one, they would all be doomed. If he didn't go with Megatron, Rodimus would leave him and do it himself. No matter what his leader decided, Rodimus wouldn't let him dictate his own actions: he would do what was necessary to protect the `bots he loved, even if it went against protocol.

This whole thing was already going against protocol anyways.

Optimus looked back at Ultra Magnus, who gave what was supposed to be an imperceptible nod. At least, Rodimus assumed that it was supposed to be imperceptible. He knew that Ultra Magnus hadn't been one for publicly displaying his controversial decisions, of which he had made quite a few during his time as leadership. But even in all of those, he had never been driven to make an agreement of any kind with Decepticons. The fact that he also knew that it was imperative that they work together showed how important the right judgment was.

Unfortunately, somebot else also saw this nod.

"No! We can't do this! This is Megatron, for spark's sake! What has possessed you all to side with Megatron!?" Sentinel protested, "Have you forgotten what he's done to us? What he probably still wants to do?"

"Sentinel, we can't risk anything at the moment…" Optimus started.

"Exactly! Which is why we _shouldn't_ trust somebot who's liable to stab us in the back as soon as we are comfortable with him!" He cried, "Manufacture some common sense circuits!"

Rodimus decided not to speak up this time. Though everything in him wanted to tell Sentinel to shut up again, he knew it wasn't his place. It was Optimus's turn to defend himself, to justify his own decision. Of course, Rodimus understood Sentinel's uneasiness. He had felt the same thing earlier. But he had to look past that, realize what was the best thing to do. Hopefully Optimus could get Sentinel to realize this. Then again, this _was_ Sentinel. Maybe that was asking too much.

A strange lowing sound came from above, so loud that it caused vibrations to flow into the air. Everybot's attention was immeadiately drawn to it, seeing that the noise came from Unicron. He had stopped moving. Rodimus waited, hoping that he would just go away, back to wherever he came from. That he would leave them alone. That Dirge would just give up. No such luck. Unicron still hung portentously in the sky, the clouds not dissolving into nothing.

Rodimus casually looked over to Sentinel again, still keeping his peripherals locked on Megatron, not ready to let him make a move while everybot was distracted. Optimus hadn't spoken up yet, perhaps thinking very hard about how he should answer Sentinel again, most likely to stop from being cut off or completely ignored. However, in moments of silence like this Sentinel was known to add points or insults or something like that in order to try and further his argument. He oddly had remained silent as well.

And no wonder. Sentinel was shuddering violently, holding onto his chestplate. Although, this didn't do much. His servos just went through his chassis, unable to form any physical grasp in this ghost form. Rodimus gasped as Sentinel fell over, groaning in pain. He twitched and thrashed, trying to reach out and steady himself. Rodimus felt frozen, not even able to comprehend what was happening. Whatever this was, it was hurting Sentinel bad enough to make him completely disregard trying to impress others. His cries of agony were piercing and loud.

"Sentinel! Sentinel, what are you doing!?" Optimus asked, horrified.

Sentinel strained to look up, still grabbing frenetically at his chestplate. His viz scanners widened, staring straight at Optimus pleadingly. His mouth seemed to form words, but no sound other than the pain-filled cries came out. Nobot could do anything but watch as he struggled, not sure what they should do, if there was anything they could.

Then it was done.

The sudden events left a cold imprint on Rodimus, and he could only make sense of one thing: Sentinel Prime was gone. Faded away right in front of them, disappearing in less than an instant. There was an edgy silence as everybot realized the truth. Sentinel had been taken from them, and he wasn't coming back.

"Sentinel!? SENTINEL!?"

Rodimus still couldn't stop feeling completely chilly, as if everything around him had turned to ice. He had never really liked Sentinel. Actually, he almost had his name and 'hate' in the same category. Who did like his pompous and arrogant attitude? Disdain for Sentinel was almost a common point for all `bots. Chin jokes had become the latest fad, no matter how serious you were. Announcement boards with his faceplate on it had been horribly vandalized without any repercussions. So why was he so torn apart by this?

Maybe it was the fact that it didn't matter who this had happened to. Either way, this whole thing had gotten a lot dodgier.

Optimus kneeled over to where Sentinel had just been, waving his servo in the empty space. Prowl was at his side, trying to console the best he could. He looked as shocked as the rest of them, but obviously wasn't taking it the same way Optimus was. Rodimus had heard rumors that the two of them had been friends, and this only solidified that gossip. He could only wonder how Optimus could still think so highly of him after all that Sentinel had done, specifically to him.

The only `bot who wasn't in some state of shock was Megatron. Rodimus had since dropped the line of his bow, but was ready to pick it back up at any nanoclick. The `con was leering. He wasn't surprised. Wasn't at all sad. He looked rather delighted, in fact. Rodimus may not have been Sentinel's biggest fan, but he was still his comrade, and if Megatron didn't get rid of that look in less than a cycle by himself he would make him. Surely even a cold-hearted `con like Megatron understood what Optimus was going though. Couldn't he at least appear upset?

Optimus continued to stare blankly at Sentinel's absence, as if not able to fully recognize what had happened. It was so quick; Rodimus knew that he was still second-guessing exactly how it went. Then he turned away, putting his servo to his temple so not to see the spot where it occurred anymore. Prowl tried to say something, perhaps words of sympathy, but Optimus just shook his head. He didn't want to hear anything like that.

He was moving on.

"Megatron." He said distantly, "I'm in. I…I can't let this happen to anybot else. How do we stop him?"

Megatron's sneer broadened. "I was hoping you would ask."

* * *

There was a bright glow as the spark finally disappeared, sucked into Unicron through some sort of tractor beam. Starscream was able to see the small orb gradually break apart as it was drawn in, only left to speculate the fate of the `bot it belonged to. He hadn't even had the chance to see who Dirge had picked to fling at Unicron. Whoever it was, he had become a very light snack. Starscream reluctantly felt a bit of pity, silently cursing those Autobot morals.

Dirge smiled wide, pleased with his accomplishments. Not that he was ever not pleased with himself. It was like everything he did was perfect. Absolutely perfect. Starscream couldn't wait until his perfect world shattered on top of him.

Another moan. Unicron began to come forward, as if he had never stopped moving. Almost at a faster rate than before. At least the weird clouds seemed to be moving faster, swirling around the edge of the planet-entity from the other alternate dimension. Ugh. No matter how many times Starscream said it, it still sounded ridiculous.

So, of course, Dirge's plan worked again. What a surprise. Starscream still couldn't understand how his clone had this much more luck than him. Nobot went this far without making a mistake. Especially Starscream. And since Dirge was a part of him, an aspect of his personality, he shouldn't be an exception.

"Thundercracker…" Skywarp mumbled. He tapped his fingers together, shifting his stabilizing servos uncomfortably.

"What did you say?" Dirge whirled around, no longer staring at his prize.

"I miss Thundercracker…" He admitted, "Being alone must be so sad…and scary…maybe we could…"

"Look here!" Dirge insisted, "You're my brother, not Thundercracker's! Your concern should be mine! For me, not him!"

"B-But…!"

"If I hear one more word about Thundercracker…" He threatened.

Skywarp gulped, stepping away from Dirge timidly. Starscream ignored him soonafter, figuring he would leave it at that. Skywarp was the epitome of dread. If he was given a clear threat, he didn't go against it. Even if it wasn't a clear admonition, not even intended as one, he made sure to obey it, not wanting to incur anybot's anger.

That only made his refusal to comply all the more startling.

"Thundercracker _is_ my brother, and he's yours too." He announced quietly. "No matter how many times you say it, it won't change."

There was almost a collective gasp as Dirge made the twin's faceplate darken, full of rage. Skywarp stood his ground, no longer appearing so weak. He had finally done it. He had not let his fear control him. Starscream was even impressed, though he had no idea how this worked. Skywarp was supposed to be his fear, his inner coward. How did he just go against the very thing he was?

Dirge flipped the Matrix around, much as he had done before, but not as carefully. More like recklessly. If he was twirling it around any quicker he would drop it. Then he found what he was looking for, snatching up a small spark. He turned his glare to Skywarp, who didn't impulsively cower as he used to. Then, ever so slightly, he pressed his servo over the top of it, squeezing it, as you would say.

Skywarp stiffened. His faceplate turned pale as he winced in pain. His chestplate heaved in and out aggressively, as if it was hard to breathe. With a panicked cry he sunk to his knees.

"I'm sorry, Skywarp, but I warned you." Dirge said sadistically. "Next time go with your instincts instead of trying to be so tough. It usually ends up better for you."

Starscream made a face. He was doing his best to press back the emotions welling inside of him. This was not supposed to sadden him. He was supposed to like this. Wanted to like this. Why couldn't he just disregard the feelings and be a Decepticon!? At least he had a bit of a reason to be sad here: this was his clone that was being tortured, not just another `con or `bot. A bit of himself. He had every right to be upset, even angry. He even had a basis for defying Dirge at this point, but knew better. It wouldn't be worth it to do that over something so trivial. No, if he was going to do that, he would have to wait for a better opportunity.

Dirge released the spark, returning it back to its proper place in the Matrix. Skywarp gasped, crumpling all the way to the ground, completely spent. Slipstream rushed over to him, looking concerned. Genuine concern. Starscream gawked at this, but was quickly distracted by Sunstorm marching up to Dirge with angry purpose.

"Dirge, you are the most iniquitous `con I've ever met!" He spat, "How dare you refer to us as your family while you, you completely shameful glitch, are willing to treat us this way!? It's absolutely despicable!"

"Uh…" Dirge smiled warily, "Thank you…?"

Sunstorm blinked and looked down at himself in horror. Starscream couldn't believe it either. Sunstorm had insulted somebot. Slipstream was acting like she cared about others. Skywarp had had a moment of courage. What was happening to the universe!? Now what? Would Ramjet say something truthfully? Starscream didn't know. His white clone wasn't talking, simply standing next to Sunstorm, supporting him. The sycophant was wobbling in place, like he was going to faint because of what he did. Nobot should blame him. He had just denied his very existence.

It was almost like everything was going backwards. These clones had started out being the severe versions of Starscream's personalities. Dirge had been more independent. These clones were becoming individuals. Dirge was becoming more and more hysterically greedy every cycle. And Starscream? He was thinking like an Autobot, and he had once been the second-in-command of the Decepticons. Everything was messed up.

Starscream didn't have much time to mull over this as a loud, thunderous voice boomed above them.

"_Why are you so intent on bringing me here?" _

Dirge immeadiately brightened, leaving no doubt in Starscream's processor as to who was addressing them. Unicron had finally decided to speak up. In doing so he had also stopped his descent toward Cybertron once more, but not because of indecision like before. It was most likely more comfortable for somebot as big as him to talk civilized without constantly being on the move.

"Ah yes, Unicron, we've been waiting for you to come," Dirge said, "I have a proposal for you."

"_Really? And who do you think you are that you would act so bold in my presence?" _

"I'm Dirge, the Matrix-bearer…of sorts. And I'm more than willing to trade the Matrix for a certain price."

Starscream could see that it was hard for Dirge to talk like this with a straight faceplate. He most certainly was not willing to give up the Matrix, but undeniably he had something plotted to create a loophole in the agreement. Something that would let him claim both trophies without losing his original one.

"_The Matrix? That would hardly do. I'm much more interested in this planet of yours."_

"W-Well, then, you can have that too! As you can clearly see, I've already cleared out most of the population for you, so there is no resistance waiting to stop you from eating it!" Dirge insisted.

"_Do you really think that I would be so foolish as to negotiate? What's keeping me from just taking both Cybertron and the Matrix, without giving in to your demands? You can't stop me, weakling."_

Dirge faltered, faceplate as white as the accursed snow that Starscream had become familiar with on Earth. "But we could work together! I-I want you! I want you!"

"_I know your kind. You want to try to take advantage of me. I'm not a fool."_

"But…but…but…!!" He sputtered.

There. It finally happened. Dirge had backfired. Starscream felt relieved, if only because it showed that nobot was perfect. Starscream wasn't so alone in his list of failures. Still, something was wrong. Dirge wasn't backing off. Instead, he hastily grabbed a spark from the Matrix and hurled it toward Unicron in desperation. Rather stupid, it seemed. Starscream knew that Unicron wasn't going to budge from his decision to not comply.

As the spark flew into the air, Starscream caught a glint inside of the purplish-blue substance. What that glint was, he didn't know. All he knew was that it was familiar. A bit vicious. Reminded him of somebot…

Starscream let out a cry as he realized who Dirge had chosen as a tribute to Unicron.

Dirge didn't have a moment to get out of the way as Starscream lunged for him. He reached his servos into the twin's chassis, grabbing for Dirge's form. He was going to burn him so bad, he would never feel again. He was going to rip out all of his chassis's circuits, so that he would be forced to take on a ghost structure again. Then he was going to kill him.

"Why'd you do that!? You said! You said!" He raved.

Dirge squirmed, trying to get out of his grip. "I never said, liar! I only implied!"

"No!!" Starscream cried, writhing about harder, hitting him with everything he had.

"Stop it! STOP IT!!"

Starscream didn't stop. He was never going to stop. This was compensation for everything this stupid clone of his had made him go through. He was going to make him wish he was never even thought of. The attack continued, the other clones watching fearfully, as if not sure whether they should help their creator or not.

Unaware to all of the `bots on that building top, Unicron began to creep closer to Cybertron. The clouds grew smaller, his body almost entirely out of the transwarp field.

It was the beginning of the end.

* * *

**Yes, it was Sentinel. I'm excited to hear your opinion on this. I know he has a love/hate relationship with the TFA community. Also, I thought Megatron and Unicron were hard to write D: I can't do serious villains at all. I bet you all know who Dirge threw, too. I just didn't say to make it a suprise for people who don't see the obvious.**

**Well, until next time!**


End file.
